Electric-railway system.



W. ROBINSON.

ELECTRH) RAILWAY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED Aus.l. 1904.

1,141,655. Patented June 1, 1915.

I .2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Inventor:

w. ROBINSONQ ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-h 1904.

1,141,655. Patented June 1,- 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR Till MOM! PITIII 120., \IANUIGNN, D. L.

WILLIAM ROBINSON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ELECTRId-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1915.

Application filed August 1, 1904. Serial No. 219,057.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Electric-Railway System, of which the following is a specification.

The nature of my invention will be understood from the description which follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the chief features of. my invention; Fig. 2 shows a more complete development of the invention, and Fig. 3 a section through the line 00, a", Fig. 1.

1 represents a railroad track and 2 a third rail or working conductor made in sections 3, 4 and 5, separated or insulated from each other as shown at 6, 7 and 8.

9 represents a generator of high potential or working current from which proceeds the feeder 10. 11 represents an auxiliary generator of low potential current from which extends the feeder 12. Both of these generators have one terminal connected to the service or track rails 1 by the conductor-13.

The three circuit instruments 14, 15 and 16 are identical in construction, which is as follows: 17 represents a solenoid provided with a movable core 18, to which is secured an extension 19, preferably of non-magnetic material. These circuit instruments are provided with circuit closing levers 20.

The high potential feeder 10 is normally disconnected from the contact sections 3, 4, 5 of the working conductor, as shown at 2122 in the circuit instruments 14 and 16. The low potential feeder 12, however, is normally connected to said lever 20, as shown at the contact points 23 in said instruments 14 and 16; that is, said feeder is normally connected, through said levers 20, to one terminal of said solenoids, while their opposite terminals 24 are connected to said third rail sections 3, 4, 5. That is tosay, the high potential or working current feeder 10 is normally disconnected from the sections of the working conductor, while the low potential feeder 12 is normally connected to said sections of the working conductor.

25 represents a motor car or train provided with the driving motor 26, the con troller 27 and the contact or collecting shoe 28, which brushes or slides along in contact the circuit through the solenoid with the sectional conductor as the car travels. One terminal of the motor 25 is connected to the car axle or frame, and the opposite terminal to the controller 27, both in the usual manner as shown.

The contact shoe 28 is connected by the wire 29 to the rotating part 30 of the controller 27 as shown.

The operation is as follows: When there is no car, using current, on section 3, for instance, the solenoid of the circuit instrument 14 is connected by the closed contact points 23 to the low potential feeder 12, through the lever 20. As the circuit is still open, however, between the working section 3 and the return rails of the track the solenoid remains neutral and inoperative. While said solenoid remains in this neutral condition the low potential circuit remains closed at 23, and the high potential circuit open at 21 and 22, that is, the working current feeder 10 remains disconnected from the working section 3. Now, let an electric car enter upon a section, as shown in connection with the section 4. The closing of the circuit through the motor 27, as shown, completes 17 to the low potential or auxiliary feeder 12. The solenoid 17 thus energized attracts the core 18, and forces the extension 19 against the lever 20, thus opening the circuit at 23 and closing the working circuit at 22 and 21. By this arrangement, it will be observed, the working current passing through the branch 31, passes also through the lever 20 and the solenoid 17, keeping the latter energized and the working circuit closed at the points 21 and 22, even after the feeder 12 is disconnected from said lever and solenoid.

A high resistance 32 is placed in the branch 31 in order to reduce the force of the working current passing through the solenoid. The main part of the working current passes through the conductors 33 and 34 to the rail section and the motors. A slight resistance 35 is placed in the main branch 33 in order to prevent a dead short circuit of the current passing through the branch 31.

It will be observed that when circuit is opened by the controller 27 it is not only opened through the car motor 26, but also through the solenoid 17, when the spring 36 instantly reverses the lever 20, thus opening the working circuitat 21 and 22 and closing the auxiliary circuit at 23. This occurs every time the circuit is opened through the controller, from which it is apparent that when the car is coasting or has stopped at a station or elsewhere, for any reason, there can be no working current in the section with which it is connected.

From all of the foregoing it is clear that under no circumstances can the working current cross and dominate the low potential current.

The initial energizing of the solenoids draws the cores 18 upward with sufiicient force to cause the lever 20 to close the high potential circuit, as described, after the opening of the circuit at 23, notwithstanding the momentary interruption of the current through the solenoids owing to the cutting out of the circuit of the feeder 12 and the switching in of the feeder 10.

V In Fig. 2 the circuit instrument 37 is used as a relay in which the lever 20 closes the circuit at 21 upon the circuit of the magnet 38, which latter closes the knife switch 39 by forcing the blade 40 between the spring clips 41.

By this means the solenoid relay may be operated by a Very slight current while a heavy working current may be used in the magnet 38, thus controlling a long throw of the knife blade 40. Ihe main working current, in this case, passes through the switch 39 and the conductor 42 to the rail section,

, as shown.

It will be noted that as the train passes from one section to another, thecircuit of the working current is always opened at the track section before being opened at the contact points of the circuit instruments, consequently there can be no burning of contact points in said instruments.

A resistance 43 is placed in the branches 44 leading from the auxiliary feeder 12 in order to properly regulate the strength of initial current reaching the various solenoids. Springs 45 are placed under the cores 18. When there is no current passing through the solenoids 17 the weight of the cores 18 compresses these springs somewhat, and

' when the current is passed through said solenoids the expansive force of said springs assists the current in raising said cores, while, at the same time, the springs following said cores upward tend to steady the same and to prevent the vibration of said cores.

The resistances 47 and 49 are intended to reduce to a proper extent the strength of working current when passing through the magnets 17 and 38, since these are merely operating or controlling magnets, while the light resistance 48 is intended to offer but slight resistance to the working current passing to the section 3 through the switch 41, just enough resistance to prevent the possibilityof the conductor 42 completely short circuiting current from said magnets when the working circuit is closed at 41. V

The resistance 47 is intended to be much less than that shown at 32 in order'to give heavier current to the magnet 38 for controlling the heavy working switch 41. The resistances 35 also should bemuch less than the resistances 32 in order to allow a less obstructed passage of theworking current to the working conductors. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 7 1. In an electric railway system, a working current feeder, a working or contact conductor normally disconnected therefrom, a I

solenoid being normally disconnected from c said working current feeder and connected,

through said switch, to the low potential feeder, and means cooperating with said switch and solenoid for disconnecting said low potential feeder from said solenoid and connecting the working current feeder thereto, on closing circuit through said solenoid.

2. In an electric railway system, a working current feeder, a working or contact conductor normally disconnected therefrom, a low potential current feeder, a circuit instrument embodying a. solenoid or magnet pro- Vided with a continuous winding and having one terminal electrically connectedto said working conductor and the other tosaid low potential feeder, means under control of said solenoid or magnet for disconnecting said low potential feeder from said solenoid and connecting the working current feeder to said working or contact conductor on closing circuit through said solenoid, whereby said solenoid will control the transmission of working current to a train which may be on the section of working conductor ed to said working conductor and the other connected normally to said auxiliary feeder through the switch controlled by said switch magnet, means for disconnecting the auxiliary feeder from said switch magnet, and connecting the'working current feeder to Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the potential feeder, and means under control of said solenoid for disconnecting said low potential feeder from said solenoid, and con- 1'3 necting the working current feeder to said working conductor.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' 7 WILLIAM ROBINSON.

Witnesses:

LOUIS A. JoNEs, CHARLES S. GooDINe.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

